Fort Bend & Sugar Land Schools, Sports, and Students September 2017

Texas FFA Scholarship Recipients.

TEXAS FFA STUDENTS RECEIVE $1.4 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS FROM HLSR

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo leadership presented 70 Texas FFA students with $1.4 million in scholarships during the Texas FFA State Convention in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Wednesday, July 12. Fort Bend County resident and Ridge Point High School student Abby Knox, from Missouri City, received one of the coveted scholarships. Each scholar receives a $20,000 college scholarship, payable over four years.

Chartered in 1929, the Texas FFA Association contributes to a model of secondary agricultural education in which students take part in classroom instruc­tion and supervised agricultural experiences.

“When the very first Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo scholarship was presented to a Texas FFA member in 1957, a special tradition began between two great organizations,” said Joel Cowley, Show president and CEO. “Texas FFA prepares students for future success through a diverse offering of educational programs, many of which involve some facet of agriculture, and we are pleased to contribute to the development of our future leaders.”

Of the 2017 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Texas FFA recipients, 62 percent are female and 38 percent are male, with many students from cities with populations less than 500 people. In the fall, these students will major in 31 different fields of study ranging from agricultural economics to nutrition, and biomedical engineering to pre-law.

This is the fourth and final 2017 scholarship presentation, for a Show total commitment over the summer of nearly $14.3 million in scholarships to Texas youth. These scholarships represent a portion of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s annual commitment of more than $26 million to scholarships, research, endowments, calf scramble participants, junior show exhibitors, School Art participants and other educational programs.

Jessika C. Hearne shown during her book launch and signing at Barnes and Noble in Pearland Town Center.

FORT BEND ISD TEACHER JESSIKA HEARNE AUTHORS BOOK

Many people doubted Jessika Hearne would ever succeed in life, but she has proven them wrong on so many levels. Some said she wouldn’t graduate high school, but she did. Her educational pursuits went even further when she received a bachelor’s degree, followed by a master’s degree in education administration. Her personal pride and strong self-worth would one day help her overcome the many obstacles she faced throughout her childhood and most of her adult life.

As a child and young adult, Hearne suffered from neglect and abuse, but she thanks God that her life is now peaceful, secure and worth living. The proud mother of three is also living her dreams, one after the other.

She is enjoying a humbling and rewarding career as a middle school teacher. Last year, she received the honor of being named McAuliffe Middle School’s Campus Teacher of the Year, followed by being named an FBISD Teacher of the Year finalist, and finally, FBISD’s 2017 District Secondary Teacher of the Year. She is also working on her natural hair product line, A Touch of Parrys, which will be released soon. And to top it off, she recently became a published author.

Her book, Growing Up: Life Behind the Chalkboard, chronicles key life-changing moments in the life of the main character, Musik Raine. Musik overcomes a life of poverty, physical and verbal abuse, and even a kidnapping – all while keeping her dreams of becoming more than her situation alive.

“The messages I want people to receive from reading my book is that they are responsible for their own lives, and not even the sky is the limit to what they can achieve,” said Hearne. “So many people tried to discourage me and make me feel smaller than who I am. I refused to let those negative people impact my life, and remained positive knowing that I would someday achieve my goals.”

The Fort Bend County Alumnae Panhellenic has announced its 2017 scholarship winners. This year the club awarded $3,000 in scholarship money to four young women from the community who are all outstanding members of their respective NPC Sorority chapters. The scholarships are provided annually to college students who complete applications in the spring and are awarded based upon merit. Funds to provide the awards are generated at fundraising events as well as through private donations.

The recipient of the Diana Adams Scholarship in the amount of $1,000 is Kathrin James, Alpha Delta Pi from The University of Texas. The Tri-Delta Neil Oatman Scholarship Award in the amount of $750 goes to Elise Louise Bauer, Kappa Kappa Gamma from Auburn University. The Fort Bend Alumnae Panhellenic Scholarship Awards in the amount of $7500 each went to Lauren Sibille, Phi Mu from Texas Christian University; and $500 to Laci Marie Enriquez, Delta Gamma from Texas A&M.

In collaboration with Kendra Scott Jewelry, The Fort Bend County Alumnae Panhellenic will host its annual scholarship fundraiser at the Sugar Land Kendra Scott Jewelry location outside First Colony Mall at 16535 Southwest Freeway on Wednesday, Nov. 8 from 6-8 p.m. A percentage of all proceeds from sales during the event will help fund the 2017 FBAP Annual Scholarship Awards. For more information, visit fortbendpanhellenic.org.

FBISD ATHLETES COMPETE IN TEXAS NATIONAL STATE KARATECHAMPIONSHIP AND QUALIFIER

Eight Fort Bend ISD students helped form a 16-member athletic team that competed at the 2017 Texas National State Karate Championship and Qualifier in May, with individual members placing in the top three positions of their divisions. They were among 290 athletes from throughout the state to enter the competition, regarded as the largest and most prestigious karate tournament in Texas.

The FBISD athletes were among those, age 4-60, to compete in various divisions of Kata (the essence and foundation of karate that focuses on form), Kumite (face-to-face combat that incorporates attack and defense techniques), and Kobudo (the weapon systems of Martial Arts).

The winners of the competition, all of whom are aspiring Olympians, represented Texas at the 2017 USA National Championships and Team Trials,held July 19-23 in Greenville, South Carolina. With karate being one of the five new sports confirmed for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, these winners are all aspiring to compete as U.S. Olympians at the event.

Four Fort Bend ISD students are among more than 80 young leaders – representing 50 public, charter and private schools from across the state – to create and lead service projects as members of Education in Action’s 2016-2017 Lone Star Leadership Academy Alumni Council.

Before entering the ninth grade, the council members participated in a week-long Lone Star Leadership Academy summer camp that gave them an opportunity to explore significant Texas sites, improve their leadership abilities, gain self-confidence and independence, and develop new friendships.

Madison Taylor, Clements High School senior, Stuff(ed) for Kids project

Each of the students received a certificate of merit for their dedication to developing their leadership skills and service to their community. To learn about their service projects, view the Education in Action newsletter on educationinaction.org.